things that interest me.

simple life

– Tearing down a tough double black mountain on my snowboard, and making it through perfectly (Blue Mountain’s Elevator Shaft run on an icey day, I’m looking at you!) with no stumbles or flails

– Spending a day snowboarding (lining up through the singles line) with nothing but me, the mountain and my music

– Hitting the gym after a long hiatus, and feeling that sweet sweat and pain

– Sharing a joke with my parents, everyone laughing

– Driving on the 401 late at night with nothing but the empty road, the wind, and AVB’s A State of Trance podcast harmonies filtering through the car – simplicity defined

– The ending of a 5 hour hike

– Crossing the finish line of the Tough Mudder

– Hitting up an AYCE sushi place with friends after an amazing work-out or run (that spicy salmon sushi doe!)

– Bro-talk with the boys after a night out

– When my friend’s cat sits on my lap, willingly

– Those pharmacy study sessions with the boys, late at night, struggling through the material together (extra-articular features of rheumatoid arthritis, no way we need to know that…)

– Watching old cartoons and shows together with my brother; playing through and beating co-op video games together (Borderlands!)

The list goes on and on, but what I realized tonight while doing #5 (the drive back to London) was that what makes me happy really are the simple things. Things that make me happy, really happy, tend to be random moments with people, or days spent snowboarding.

cats and snowboarding: my favorite things juxtaposed together.

For me, I’ve realized the big ceremonies, the large parties, the busy busy life filled with important events and gatherings are nice, great even. But sometimes I feel it’s too much.

I’ve always kind of felt that way subconsciously, but this is probably one of the big drives as to why I am always adamant about expanding further, working and living beyond the GTA. Having lived in downtown Toronto for a co-op, I can definitely attest that it is, indeed, awesome. I felt like I was living the life, hopping around downtown Toronto and hitting up cool establishments and eating good food. I was a busy guy, always with something to do or see or eat, because truth be told, downtown Toronto is a hub with lots to explore. But the times that made me really happy wasn’t the eventful days I had while living downtown; it was the small things, like going for a run around Toronto while listening to Zedd. I guess that’s when I realized the downtown life wasn’t for me.

Obviously my experiences are moulded by the fact that I spent my high-school years in downtown Toronto, and then the formative years of my university career at McGill, which is smack-dab in downtown Montreal. In a way, it can be likened to the immune system creating antibodies after exposure to an antigen – perhaps my early and consistent exposure to the downtown life made me resistant to it.

dat post-exposure antibody development doe

I can definitely see the appeal of staying and living and working in the GTA – for sure. I just realized it isn’t for me.

Today’s blog wasn’t anything earth-shattering or revelation of particular insights – just a random blog from a random mind.

Maybe PEBC studying is making me crazy? lol.

Music Mondays!

Holy cow I love this song. The combination of vocals and chillstep, with that drop and those trance overtones in the middle. Repeat for DAYS.